"It was huge part of my life. I didn't grow up in the best neighborhood, so I tended to lose myself in cartoons," says Hughes, who was raised in west Phoenix. "It gave me something to look up to."

The painter admits he's stuck on his early years because of his somewhat bumpy childhood. His father was half-Cherokee and his mother was white, which resulted in racist taunting from bigots. Hughes also has a penchant for painting childhood pictures of himself and his brother.

"It makes me happy just to look at my painting and the stuff from back then," he says. "It's easy to hide away in my work, which I think most artists like to do." — Benjamin Leatherman
See Alexander's work online (alexanderscotthughes.com) and in person at Conspire, 901 N. 5th St., or The Rose & Crown Pub, 628 E. Adams St.